Wow. I have to apologize. I have been slacking in the month of March. And I promise to make it up the rest of the month. There are many adventures to be had...including a trip to Vegas. Stay tuned. Now for Bruno's!
Bruno's might be described as a hole in the wall, but what a hole it is. When it comes to quality food at restaurants, that old saying about judging a book by its cover really holds true. Bruno's is located 2 blocks from the Santa Monica Pier and you could easily walk past it and never know it was there. Family run and operated, it is a rarity to find such a down to earth and homey place in trendy Santa Monica.
The restaurant is basically one room, with the open air kitchen in the corner. When you walk in and see the red booths and the plastic checkered table cloths you know this is not going to be a pretentious fine dinning experience. Bruno's is all about the food and casual atmosphere.
And yes that is the Mona Lisa in the corner there. I went to Bruno's twice in the same week, so that should tell you something. The first time with my uncle Steve. I had pizza, which was not the traditional thin crust type, but more like New York style and still delicious. Then something quite unexpected happened. A nice old man gave me half a liter of wine that he said he couldn't finish. Now you would think I might be a little leary of drinking a strange man's wine. But not a Bruno's. It just seemed to fit. It seemed like a very Italian thing to have happen.
The second time I brought my Grandma and Jack, and Bruno himself was our waiter (I foolishly forgot to get a picture of him. I promise to post one as soon as I go back). Bruno's family hails from Naples and he is very funny and full of personality. Do I just have the kind of face that Italians like to pick on? Anyways, the food was great. I had chicken piccata and although the texture and sauce were a little different than I was used to, it was still scrumptious. Bottom line is that the food is simple and good. Bruno's has all the Italian-American classics. It isn't completely authentic Italian, but its damn close and a lot better than 90% of other imitators.
To top it off, Bruno's is very reasonable! The most expensive thing on the menu is maybe $18, and many dishes are $12. The pizza is an even better deal. Grandma, Jack and I had a fantastic meal. We were about to drive off when Bruno comes running up to us with Grandma's cell phone and my leftovers that we had left at the table. Thanks Bruno!
Bruno's gets the Schu stamp of approval, no question. I will be going back soon!
Glad your back having adventures....Great stuff!
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